The present invention relates generally to computer networks and, specifically, to a method and apparatus for implementing a "diary" of Web pages or the like on a computer network.
In recent times, the internet has gained universal acceptance. A global network connecting millions of computers, the Internet is the current "ultimate" in information and communication technology. Still, it has quite a few drawbacks. Some drawbacks, such as its speed (or lack thereof) are readily apparent to the casual user. Other problems are not as obvious.
A first problem is the facelessness of the Internet. In real life, we (consciously or unconsciously) "judge a book by its cover," i.e., we form an opinion about other people based on how they present themselves, through their style of clothing, the car they drive, their hobbies and interests, and the people they admire or detest. Non-technical users of the Internet find it difficult to present themselves, other than what they say in newsgroups, etc. Technically-minded users have some ability to present themselves through their Websites. However, setting up and maintaining a Website requires more knowledge and effort than many users possess. To design a good personal Website a user needs to know about such areas as computer science, human-computer interface design, graphic design, fine art, and writing. It is obvious from many examples available on the Web today that not all users have all of these skills in equal proportions. As such, the Internet is essentially a faceless medium.
A second problem with the Internet is its volatility. While browsing the World Wide Web, users encounter huge amounts of information. In the real world, when we visit a place, we take home a tangible memory of the place, such as photographs or souvenirs. Web users do not have this option. Current mechanisms for saving references to Web pages (e.g., bookmarks and favorite lists) have the large drawback of being text-oriented and, therefore, provide no visual (or other) clue as to why the user originally thought the information was interesting enough to bookmark. The only memories a Web user has of the sites he has visited are some rather inexpressive bookmarks that say something like "Welcome to the homepage of SomeCompany" or "http://www.somecompany.com/". Such bookmarks give no sensory clue as to why the user bookmarked the page in the first place. Thus, a user's travels on the Web are rather volatile, since he has nothing tangible by which to remember where he has gone. What is needed is a way for users to keep track of locations that they have visited in a more visual and memorable way.